Plastic Shoes Are Trending—But Are They Bad for Your Health?

I’ve written about some irksome footwear in the past. There have been the freaky peekaboo-toe shoes seen at Y/Project and even the return of the thong heel that gave us a splayed, unapologetic toe cleavage moment. But a plastic shoe? Those truly give me the heebie-jeebies. It’s like looking at the foot with clouded vision, in a very literal sense: They fog up from heat. In fact, plastic shoes act like their own transparent miniature ecosystems, with a perpetual film of condensation caused by perspiration film generated when bare feet get steamy. (And as science tells us, moisture and heat cause things to grow. Eeek.)

Plastic shoes have become a festering joke on Instagram, too. The account @larslala by Lars Byrresen Petersen, which tracks the runway misfortunes of footwear, posted a burned-in-my-brain image of a sweaty $950 Yeezy Tubular boot with this witty but gross caption: “When your shit don’t stink, but your feet do.” On the prettier end, Petersen’s account is also the source of a plastic Chanel boot with a few roses cheekily spurting from the sole. It’s a cute photo, but it also doesn’t seem far from the truth—a plant could, in all likelihood, flourish in there. It is as if the enclosed set-up is giving the toes a petri dish pedicure. And yet the plastic stompers are all the rage. Rihanna has gone out in the Off-White x Jimmy Choo collab, something that is reminiscent of a cool but airless, ziplock pump. Bella Hadid also loves a see-through heel moment, as does Kim Kardashian West. And most recently, Kristen Stewart stepped out in Chanel’s adamantly chic clear boots at the Cannes Film Festival.

My colleagues seem to agree about the woes of the plastic shoe, but more so on the comfort side. At the mere mention of PVC footwear—closed- or open-toe—they were quick to share their blister-stricken stories. Vogue Fashion News Director Chioma Nnadi recalled a time when she trudged around the city in transparent kicks. “It was maybe the hottest New York summer I’ve ever experienced, so you imagine what that meant for my poor feet in those wretched shoes. I still have scars,” she says. “And it’s been 10 years.” As for closed-toe versions? Those seem like a whole other level of suffocation. Just a few days ago, the aforementioned KKW posted an image of her feet pinched by plastic pumps that seemed so tight-fitting that they appeared to cut off circulation in some areas.

Health professionals agree that the dangers of plastic footwear are real—and, well, alive. According to Dr. Rock Positano, director of the Non-surgical Foot and Ankle Service at Hospital for Special Surgery in New York, their lack of breathability is certainly a harmful factor. “The foot by itself [without a sock] in a shoe, plastic or not, provides a perfect milieu for bacterial and fungal growth. It is moist, dark, and there is heat,” says Positano. “The combination of those three things make a foot inside a shoe a dangerous place.” That’s not including the fact that some people are allergic to plastic and may experience an allergic reaction, or rather, “hot foot”—a term that Positano uses to describe contact dermatitis, a skin irritation that can make the foot feel as if it is on fire.

Another deterrent to wearing plastic shoes is the fact that they are so rigid. “With a plastic shoe, you don’t have flexibility. They are very, very hard. Feet naturally swell in the afternoon, so a person can go from a size 7 to a size 9, and plastic shoes don’t expand with the foot,” he says. “A leather shoe, or a shoe that is made out of hide, has the ability to expand a little bit.” Positano explains the squeeze-in effect of a plastic shoe as if someone is trying to fit 10 gallons of water into a five-gallon tank. Another factor to note, especially if the sole itself is made out of plastic, is the lack of shock absorption which, according to Positano, can lead to an array of issues—joint and bone pain chief among them—that can affect other parts of the body like the knees and back. “If you wear them in the wrong circumstances, you’re going to have a major problem,” says Positano. “Let’s face it, it’s not a Cinderella shoe. It’s the one way to not go to the prom.”

If you’re still wanting to look like a PVC princess, think of it this way: The shoes are great for photo ops or cocktail hour (if you’re being driven there, that is); less so for dancing all night or wandering around town. (Positano notes it’s about wearing them “in moderation.”) But also, maybe consider a colorful sock when you choose to go clear. And for fog’s sake, make it Heattech.